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CJI Chandrachud is being criticized: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the house of Supreme Court Chief Justice DY Chandrachud for Ganesh Puja, which created a big controversy. Modi faced heavy criticism with the allegation that he has destroyed the credibility of Chief Justice Chandrachud by performing aarti at Chandrachud's house and posting his video on social media. Some lawyers like Mahesh Jethmalani and Harish Salve have also come to the defense of Modi and Chandrachud but their defense is not taken seriously as the interests of these lawyers are linked to the BJP. More and more lawyers are taking a dig at Modi.
BJP defends CJI and Modi
BJP is also defending Modi. Modi went to the Chief Justice's house due to his religious faith and argued that his visit will not affect the functioning of the Supreme Court. Constitutionalists and lawyers dismiss this argument as nonsense. They say that if Modi wanted to show his faith, he could have gone to a public Ganpati mandap or a poor person's house, but his intention is to show that the judiciary and the Chief Justice are under his control. Modi could have kept this meeting private but instead he deliberately made Justice Chandrachud's video and photos viral and gave a big blow to his image.
Senior lawyers criticized
According to senior lawyers, Modi has sent a very bad message by calling Chandrachud his friend. Top lawyers are criticizing that Modi has put the country's judiciary in a ridiculous situation by showing that he has a domestic relationship with the Chief Justice of the country. It is also being criticized that by attending a religious program at Chandrachud's house, Modi has crossed the limits of government-judiciary relations. Chief Justice Chandrachud has also been strongly criticized by many eminent lawyers and constitutional scholars. It is also being criticized that the Chief Justice of the country has crossed the Laxman Rekha by inviting Modi to attend a religious program at his house.
Anti-Modi
“The Chief Justice of India has lost credibility by crossing the line drawn for separation of powers between the elected wing and the judiciary. The Chief Justice has compromised the principles of the judiciary. The Supreme Court Bar Association should strongly criticise the act of the Chief Justice.” – Indira Jaising, Former Additional Solicitor General
“It is shocking that Chief Justice Chandrachud allowed Modi to hold a private meeting at his home. The responsibility of the judiciary is to protect fundamental rights, to ensure that any government works within the ambit of the Constitution. They have crossed this limit.” -Prashant Bhushan, eminent lawyer
“According to the separation of powers in the Constitution, there should be a separation between the judiciary and the government. The Chief Justice's meeting with Modi has affected the public's image about the judiciary but it has no effect on the decision. The judge independently gives the decision that he has to give himself,” the judge said. Justice RM Lodha Former Chief Justice
“Modi visiting Chandrachud's house and posting his video on social media is not appropriate at all. I don't know who invited Modi, but I can certainly say that such visits create a bad image of the judiciary in the eyes of the people. The reason is that it will not have any impact on the future decisions of the Chief Justice but it has definitely sent a wrong message on his image.” – Justice (Retd.) Govind Mathur, Allahabad High Court
“There was no need for PM Narendra Modi to visit the residence of Supreme Court Chief Justice DY Chandrachud under any circumstances. With the Supreme Court hearing anti-government cases and long-standing human rights violations, the PM’s visit has created fear in the minds of the minister and the Chief Justice and the petitioners towards the victims.” – Justice (Retd.) Rekha Sharma, Delhi High Court
“This has never happened in the history of India. In my opinion, it is not only wrong that Modi posted a picture of his visit to Chandrachud's house, but it is also wrong that Modi visited his house. We need to understand what message both Modi and Chandrachud want to convey that this is not a matter of faith but of independence of the judiciary.” -Dushyant Dave, Supreme Court lawyer
Prof. Modi
“There is nothing wrong in the Chief Justice of the country, being the head of the judiciary, performing Ganesh Puja at home or inviting the Prime Minister, but both of them should not go together in public. The Chief Justice has been accused of defaming his integrity. This incident is childish and immature. This incident should be ignored.” – Justice (Retd) K. Chandru, former judge of Madras High Court
“I am surprised that there is a controversy over Modi attending Ganesh Puja at Chandrachud's house. It is absurd that a politician cannot go to a judge or a Chief Justice's house for a social event. The judiciary and the government do their work. Where does personal relations come into the picture?” -Mahesh Jethmalani, Supreme Court lawyer
“It is absolutely nonsense to criticise the Prime Minister for visiting the Chief Justice's house and offering prayers in public. If someone wants to do something wrong, he should not do it in public like this. Given that such things are blown out of proportion and people in top positions take it up, it is a shame for the country that the Constitution is in danger.” – Harish Salve, former Solicitor General